Please record your feedback from our February 7th meeting with InResonance, Veracross and Senior Systems.
From Suzanne Craig; Unable to attend meeting on 2/12/08
Only contenders in my opinion would be InResonance and Senior Systems. I liked InResonance for its familiar interface and ability to easily customize (because many of us know filemaker). I am not sure it is as forward thinking as the Senior Systems product. Senior Systems was a brilliant solution- loved the web-based aspect- easy to access at home- reliable and works on mac/pc. So much potential w/ this system that eventually we could tap into with data being collected anyhow. Liked the interface- had some difficulty staying with the presenter who seemed rushed to show all the bells and whistles but the product looked user friendly and probably the best solution (not thinking about cost!) for bringing the entire school/camp into one system.
From Christina Grace; Unable to attend meeting on 2/12/08
I liked both InResonance and Senior Systems. I liked InResonance because I saw the practical application of how our academic data could be to find a place for this assessment data on the Senior Systems system. If they could find a place for our assessment data, I think I like their product better. But given the info I have currently, I am more inclined to believe that InResonance has what we need already available.
From Jody Barron: Unable to attend meeting on 2/12/08
I liked both InResonance and Senior Systems. For our office from what I could see (Tim was really all over the place) Senior Systems has wonderful features that would be great for development. That being said I have used InResonance and did find it very user friendly with great features. However my only concern is that at the prior school where I used it we had a dedicated filmaker expert to help with scripts, etc. InResonance support was not good, basically displayed and it really could be customized more thoroughly and I think we could make changes easily to format as we go forward. I think that InResonance is the most customizable solution for our academic data, but I liked Senior Systems as well. I did not see upfront a place in the senior systems applications that would hold our academic data, it seemed well equipt for progress reports and grades as well as attendance, and it seemed user-friendly (although the presenter was likeable yet all over the place). I think senior systems may take a couple of more questions with Kevin Mahoney their team and myselfnon existent, so without the filemaker expert I would have not been able to function. The bottom line is that no matter who we go with our office will have a big transition to make. We have over 2000 constituents in our database and when you are converting that much information there is always a period of adjustment.
:From Sam Reece: I can be at the 2/12 meeting, but here is my 2¢ ....
I agree with all of the above who have given Veracross the axe. That said, I much preferred InResonance given how many folks at Tenacre already know how to use FileMaker. I felt that the presenter did his best to give us a clear picture of the product, but that there may be more bells and whistles than we saw, and since he went first, we hadn't thought to ask about. I like the customization that can happen easily, here, in-house without having to get something called "Crystal" involved. The ease with which Admissions can generate letters and customized reports of our own making is very appealing. I'm very wary of mail merges. Never met anyone who was saddled with 'em who felt they went smoothly. Also, I generate many personalized letters out of my db and don't know if that will be possible with SS.
Senior Systems seemed to have some good features, particularly in the grade book area, although I don't know if we're pining for improved grade book functionality. They have clearly thought more about the faculty and development areas of their product, than about the Admissions module. Also, the presenter rambled endlessly all over the product so that I never got a sense of the "registrar" function at all. Like to hear what Linda thought in this area. My major goal in making a school-wide database choice is not having to add 20-30% more keystrokes to everything I do. So far, that criteria would point to selecting InResonance.
From Tammy Katzeff: Unable to attend meeting on 2/12/08
I preferred InResonance because it seemed like it would be the easiest for everyone to learn. It didn't feel as overwhelming as the other presentations, and I agree with Sam that there may be more bells and whistles than what we saw. The only downside to it for me is that it is not web based and we cannot easily work on it from home. We would need to take extra steps in order to take our work home.
From Suzanne Craig; Unable to attend meeting on 2/12/08
Only contenders in my opinion would be InResonance and Senior Systems. I liked InResonance for its familiar interface and ability to easily customize (because many of us know filemaker). I am not sure it is as forward thinking as the Senior Systems product. Senior Systems was a brilliant solution- loved the web-based aspect- easy to access at home- reliable and works on mac/pc. So much potential w/ this system that eventually we could tap into with data being collected anyhow. Liked the interface- had some difficulty staying with the presenter who seemed rushed to show all the bells and whistles but the product looked user friendly and probably the best solution (not thinking about cost!) for bringing the entire school/camp into one system.
From Christina Grace; Unable to attend meeting on 2/12/08
I liked both InResonance and Senior Systems. I liked InResonance because I saw the practical application of how our academic data could be to find a place for this assessment data on the Senior Systems system. If they could find a place for our assessment data, I think I like their product better. But given the info I have currently, I am more inclined to believe that InResonance has what we need already available.
From Jody Barron: Unable to attend meeting on 2/12/08
I liked both InResonance and Senior Systems. For our office from what I could see (Tim was really all over the place) Senior Systems has wonderful features that would be great for development. That being said I have used InResonance and did find it very user friendly with great features. However my only concern is that at the prior school where I used it we had a dedicated filmaker expert to help with scripts, etc. InResonance support was not good, basically displayed and it really could be customized more thoroughly and I think we could make changes easily to format as we go forward. I think that InResonance is the most customizable solution for our academic data, but I liked Senior Systems as well. I did not see upfront a place in the senior systems applications that would hold our academic data, it seemed well equipt for progress reports and grades as well as attendance, and it seemed user-friendly (although the presenter was likeable yet all over the place). I think senior systems may take a couple of more questions with Kevin Mahoney their team and myselfnon existent, so without the filemaker expert I would have not been able to function. The bottom line is that no matter who we go with our office will have a big transition to make. We have over 2000 constituents in our database and when you are converting that much information there is always a period of adjustment.
:From Sam Reece: I can be at the 2/12 meeting, but here is my 2¢ ....
I agree with all of the above who have given Veracross the axe. That said, I much preferred InResonance given how many folks at Tenacre already know how to use FileMaker. I felt that the presenter did his best to give us a clear picture of the product, but that there may be more bells and whistles than we saw, and since he went first, we hadn't thought to ask about. I like the customization that can happen easily, here, in-house without having to get something called "Crystal" involved. The ease with which Admissions can generate letters and customized reports of our own making is very appealing. I'm very wary of mail merges. Never met anyone who was saddled with 'em who felt they went smoothly. Also, I generate many personalized letters out of my db and don't know if that will be possible with SS.
Senior Systems seemed to have some good features, particularly in the grade book area, although I don't know if we're pining for improved grade book functionality. They have clearly thought more about the faculty and development areas of their product, than about the Admissions module. Also, the presenter rambled endlessly all over the product so that I never got a sense of the "registrar" function at all. Like to hear what Linda thought in this area. My major goal in making a school-wide database choice is not having to add 20-30% more keystrokes to everything I do. So far, that criteria would point to selecting InResonance.
From Tammy Katzeff: Unable to attend meeting on 2/12/08
I preferred InResonance because it seemed like it would be the easiest for everyone to learn. It didn't feel as overwhelming as the other presentations, and I agree with Sam that there may be more bells and whistles than what we saw. The only downside to it for me is that it is not web based and we cannot easily work on it from home. We would need to take extra steps in order to take our work home.